Poster, Trailer and Release Date for James Franco's "Howl" Unleashed

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Chosen to be shown on opening night at Sundance this year, James Franco's "Howl" is now ready to be shown to the world.

Franco stars as Allen Ginsberg (at times sporting a beard that looks like it was made with a Woolly Willy) in this film based on the once controversial poet's obscenity trial that came about after the publication of "Howl," his definitive work.

The trailer (by way of Playlist) looks to be a bit of a mess, but we love the kicker Franco delivers: "There's no Beat Generation, just a bunch of guys trying to get published."

The supporting cast includes David Strathairn, once again playing the bad with controlled rage; Jeff Daniels as an academic who hates the poem, Mary-Louise Parker as a radio personalty who testifies for the prosecution and Jon Hamm as Jake Ehrlich, the defense attorney who was the inspiration for "Perry Mason."

The film received very mixed reviews at Sundance. On Sept. 24 the rest of you can weigh in.

Published at 12:46 PM CDT on Jul 15, 2010 | Updated at 1:42 PM CDT on May 30, 2012